Thomas Can Never Be Alone

Genre: Puzzle-Platforming

Developer: Mike Bithell (PC, Mac, Linux)/Curve Studios (PS3 & Vita)

Publisher: Mike Bithell

System: PC, Mac, Linux, Playstation 3, Playstation Vita

Initial Release Date: July 24, 2012 (PC & Mac)

Minimalism seems to find a way to get into video games, and Thomas Was Alone is no exception to this rule. Like Journey and flower, this game does not have a huge drawn out plot. The game follows the story of several AIs in a computer mainframe run out of control and gain unique personalities and abilities. Using each of their own abilities, these AIs help each other get from point A to point B while facing various obstacles.

Each of the AIs has an ability that can help the other AIs solve puzzles. Laura (the pink rectangle),
acts as a trampoline. 

You'll have to switch between AIs in order to progress through each level, so there's some form of strategy needed in order complete the game, which gets harder with more AIs as the story progresses.

The only way we can know of each of the AIs personalities is through the narration (and humor) of the narrator, Danny Wallace.

If you're looking for something that has some puzzle solving strategy and something that isn't plot-heavy, then look no further than Thomas Was Alone.

Anyways, sorry that this was up late!
-Anthony-

Shaping Sounds - Thoughts on Sound Shapes

Title: Sound Shapes
Console: Playstation 3, Playstation Vita
Genre: Music, Platformer
Developer: Santa Monica Studio, Queasy Games
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Release: August 7th, 2012

Ever since I first played Super Mario 64, platform based games have always held a place in my heart, with each level in the game having different obstacles to overcome in order to reach the end and rescue Princess Peach.

Sound Shapes is like that, just without all the Mario elements, and having more focus on music rather than constant princess rescuing.

The basis of the game is to get a mysterious ball like being to a record player at the end, all while avoiding various obstacles such as lava, lasers, and even small enemies.

A screenshot from "Galaxanoids", one of the four stages in the "D-Cade" album.

While trying to get your way to the end of each stage, you can collect a series of coins. The more coins you collect, the more music will play in the stage. In the main campaign mode, if you get hit by an enemy or injured from an attack, you'll restart at the last checkpoint you were, but any coins you collected after re-spawned are reset.

The campaign itself consists of five sets of albums (or levels in this case), hence why the game is a music platformer. In order, the campaign consists of the following:

                          "Hello, World" - Music by: I Am Robot and Proud (Shaw-Han Liem)
                          "CORPOREAL" - Music by: Jim Guthrie
                          "Beyonder" - Music by: I Am Robot and Proud
                          "D-Cade" - Music by deadmau5
                          "Cities" - Music by BECK

Even though that the campaign itself is short with each album consisting of four levels, I don't have a big problem with it being that length, as the music from all the albums are catchy and unique in their own ways.

Also, if you have a Playstation Vita, Sound Shapes is on sale for $10.49 for Vita owners in part of the one year anniversary of the Vita's release, so go download Sound Shapes!

Thanks again for reading, and I apologize for the lack of updates!

-Anthony-